Princeton's Ask The Doctor July/August 2018

QUESTION: What is the preferred method of screening to prevent colon cancer? ANSWER: Colorectal cancer is the second most lethal cancer in United States. According to the American Cancer Society approximately 140,250 new cases of colorectal cancers are diagnosed in United States each year.Around 50,630 people die due to this disease annually. One in sixteen adults between 50 to 75 years can expect to develop colon cancer in their lifetime. That is 1 in 16 adults. Risk factors for colon cancer include a family history of colon cancer, personal history of pre-cancerous polyps, age greater than 50 years, intake of animal fat especially red meat, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, cigarette smoking and excess alcohol intake. Colon cancer develops from pre-cancerous growths called polyps. It takes about ten years for polyps to turn into cancer. This gives your Gastroenterologist an opportunity to identify polyps during a colonoscopy. Removing polyps during colonoscopy decreases your risk for colon cancer by about 85%. Colon cancer prevention is the primary goal of colonoscopy. If one should develop colon cancer, diagnosing it at an early stage maximizes the chance for survival. Colon cancer is typically asymptomatic at an early stage and colonoscopy is an excellent test to detect it. It also underscores the need for screening starting at the age of 50 years. Other tests like virtual colonoscopy and stool tests cannot remove polyps. If positive, those tests must be followed by colonoscopy to confirm the diagnosis. Hence, colonoscopy is the preferred method for prevention of colon cancer.

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